Girls volleyball player of year: Mitty's Anne Marie Schmidt elevated libero role to new heights

In a sport where height and power generally rule, Archbishop Mitty's Anne Marie Schmidt changed the script.

Schmidt isn't tall (5-foot-6), and her volleyball game isn't built on brawn. But the defensive standout was the engine that sparked Mitty to an undefeated season and Division II section and state championships.

The USC-bound libero had 570 digs and 465 serve receptions as the Monarchs returned to the top after two consecutive 12-loss seasons.

For this, Schmidt is the Mercury News girls volleyball player of the year.

"The difference between her and other liberos is she can take over a match," said Valley Christian co-coach Jeff Kim, whose team lost to Mitty in West Catholic Athletic League play. "She covers a lot of court. She separates herself from other liberos."

That separation made Mitty (38-0) unstoppable.

The Monarchs didn't have a superstar this season, but they had a roster full of talented players who worked hard and were motivated to add another banner to the collection hanging in the school's gymnasium.

Schmidt, the WCAL's most valuable player, led the turnaround for a team that finished No. 2 in MaxPreps' national rankings.

"She defines what we are," coach Bret Almazan-Cezar said. "Nothing spectacular, but we do our job very well."

Schmidt takes her job very seriously. She started playing libero in seventh grade, when she realized she'd never be tall enough to play outside hitter, and loved it so much that she kept working to improve. She compares her position to a goalie in soccer.

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"You just try and stop the other team from scoring and defend your side as best you can," Schmidt said. "You're definitely not getting the glory, but it's fun. I like having that role, and I wouldn't change it for anything."

After Mitty swept King in the state title match, the losing team noted how often the ball kept coming back over the net.

"A large portion of that," Almazan-Cezar said, "is how much space Anna Marie can take, which allows the other people to do their jobs in a smaller amount of space."

And as the season moved along, Mitty kept getting better and better. The Monarchs rallied from two games behind to beat Marymount in the Santa Barbara tournament final in late October, then lost only two games in their final nine matches.

"Going undefeated and winning state was the perfect ending," Schmidt said. "But at the same time, I was almost a little bit sad that it had all finally come to an end, knowing that would be my last game playing with those girls because we just had so many memories over the season. I'm going to miss them a lot."

ANNE MARIE SCHMIDT, ARCHBISHOP MITTYClass: Senior Position: LiberoThe Mercury News player of the year led Mitty to an undefeated season and a Division II state title, averaging 5.5 digs and 4.4 serve receptions per set.